As may be expected, a telecommunications network of any geographical extent would include a quantity and variety of physical assets. A national network such as that managed and operated by the applicants in the UK includes an enormous variety and amount of plant and equipment deployed in locations which span the nation's length and breadth in underground, overhead, submarine and in-building implementations. For example, tens of millions of kilometers of transmission line cables of various types are installed annually in the field through routes which range from protected exchanges, to long stretches in hostile outdoors environments.
Currently, keeping tabs on the location of plant and equipment of such a network typically involve keeping databases of logs and records at a central location, which include information such as the location and type/function of the particular item, the services or customers connected by the plant, and so on. This information is usually initially generated by network planners in the form of plans or estimates, and engineers subsequently provide updates when they carry out work on and using the item, where such work includes installation, or subsequent maintenance or repair. Deviations from planned work is reported e.g. by telephone, or via an online report, to request a correction to be made to the plan or estimate. This may be implemented manually, and where no version control is exercised, engineer updates may get out of synchronization with the central record, especially on repeat visits, which are not recorded or processed in chronological order.
Generally, the engineer creates a record to update the information on record after completing a job (either on paper, or by making an electronic note on e.g. a laptop), including the work done, the target time/cost associated, the identity and location and network context (e.g. the cable routing scheme reference number) of the particular piece of equipment or plant. The item identity and/location is indicated by e.g. marker-pen, plastic tags and stickers (sometimes with barcodes), serial numbers and the like on the item itself. Any information and records updates or corrections generated by the engineer are then (if not already communicated earlier by e.g. telephone or via the Internet) brought back to the office or other central location, transcribed, and stored in a database which may be paper or electronic.
As may be expected, the above process suffers from a number of problems, in the number of potential failure points for recording of wrong, inaccurate, or even no information. Simple human error could result in forgetting to make a record, or transcribing wrong information, in the field or at the central location. The labels and other identity indicia on or at the item may be smudged or erased through time, through environmental factors such as wind, water, ice, or mice, as well as engineering activities such as scuffing from cable installation. Bad handwriting and fading ink may be an issue, and poor adhesion or other detachment likely over the several decades lifetime of the installed plant. Delays in synchronizing field and centralized information means that most information given to engineers undertaking these tasks must be treated with suspicion, until confirmed correct, through observation and checks, on-site, or risk service affecting errors from mis-information. It may be that the recording process is simply be not carried out at all. Records may also be mislaid or lost, especially if they are kept at different locations
It is self-evidently desirable to obtain and keep good records of information about physical plant for a number of reasons, e.g. for purposes of physical asset management, accounting and auditing. An enterprise should have general and detailed knowledge of what it owns, to track their location, quantity, condition, maintenance and depreciation status.
Fault location is a known problem in any large, complicated system or network. Time, effort and other resources are wasted in locating a particular piece of equipment in the field, if records are incomplete, inaccurate or completely missing. Given the geographical extent of the network, an engineer may be forced to embark on trial-and-error in trying to find the correct item to fix. Delay in rectifying the problem adversely affects customer relations, and depresses quality of service standards, which may result in failure to meet contractual performance targets and standards. Guesswork on the engineer's part in the field runs the further risk of causing accidental damage while inspecting a piece of equipment before it is realised that that is not the faulty item he is looking for, imposing a risk of service affecting intervention faults. Unnecessary and potentially-risky activity in climbing up poles in windy conditions, and climbing down into footway boxes full of rainwater is undertaken to find equipment which is actually located elsewhere. Time and mileage is wastefully expended on needlessly driving around.
Poor plant records hamper not only the activities of the field force, but the whole of the operations and management of the network, in particular, the its effective utilisation, repair and planning aspects. Engineers, planners and other operational staff are an increasingly expensive and valuable resource which should be used efficiently. Accurate, complete and up-to-date knowledge of the location and other details of plant and equipment will go a long way to achieving efficient operation and savings in time, money and manpower resource.
US 2004/0156601 describes a cable which has a helically-slotted core, formed in a production process in which an RFID tag is glued in place in a designated slot before a sheath is extruded over it. This method does not work on surfaces without slots, and so is limited in its application. In particular, it cannot be used with “Action” cable which the applicants use for the installation of blown optical cables, as will be described further below.
WO 2007/114446 describes an RFID reader which is placed in the cylindrical body of a holder, which can accommodate a tagged syringe. The reader is however limited to use in the specific application, and would not be suitable for use in a system or network comprising many tagged items, some of which need to be located in the first place, and its records component subsequently located and read.